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Thanks for this, thanks @platypus too. I'm tempted to butcher a garmin edge quarter turn mount to the back of the etrex.
Probably the Edge is still a good option, but reliability is a concern for me. I already had my much simpler 200 turn off by itself a few times, and it already lost the route on a tandem ride that was NOT fun. It just started beeping off course on a straight road, and never found it back.
For now the dealbreaker is that if I end up touring in South East Asia, for instance, the etrex will be a lot more useful than an 800. At least it seems this way to me.
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Edge 800s 'can' fuck out on long rides. I've had it happen on a 600k before but I've also raced a bunch of 24hrs with no issues - presume the problem lies in the routing which I don't use during races.
Sat I failed a 300k audax because my Edge 1000 got water in the SD slot again - even though it was closed AND in a protective case that I'd bought after the same issue during TCR. Useless.
I'm now looking at going to a Wahoo, trying to fix my phone and probably keeping the etrex 30x as a backup because AA running is good if I lose dynamo power.
hippy
I have a 30x and 800. I find etrex units to be clunky to use generally but they seem more reliable and you can power them with AAs. I use a lot of the cycling data so etrex is less use to me but probably better for your needs. Etrex mounts either make it too easy or too hard to get the units out - mine is too easy so the mount is feckin' useless. I kept it in my saddle bag as a triple backup only. Etrex can do moving speed and total time, etc. So you'll probably get what you need from it. I've run my HCx from external power - not actually sure I've done it with 30x but almost certain it's possible.